Netflix

Netflix has updated its Windows Phone app today, but the new version, unfortunately, doesn't come with a change log (the one listed is actually an older one). This would suggest this download is a minor patch for bug fixes only.

Netflix's House of Cards has returned for its third season. All thirteen episodes of the season were pushed live at 12:01 a.m. PST, and are available to subscribers through Netflix's site, as well as its mobile apps.

Marriott is about to make your hotel stay much more rewarding. The hotel chain has confirmed to Bloomberg that it is testing a TV service that allows its guests to access streaming content from their own Netflix, Hulu Plus and Pandora accounts. The service is currently being trialled in eight hotels across the US.

Vodafone UK has today announced a partnership with Netflix that will see customers receiving a free six month subscription to the video-on-demand service. Anyone signing up to a Vodafone Red 4G contract beginning in July – and lasting until the end of the year – will be given the option to receive the perk.

Netflix is about to spread its wings and fly to several new European countries as part of a sizeable expansion plan later this year. Without being too specific on when, the streaming video service announced that Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg are the lucky six.

Microsoft has just announced that a Kinect-less version of the Xbox One will go on sale for $399 starting in June. What's more, Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox Live Gold will no longer be required for any entertainment apps, including Twitch, YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu. Users will still also be able to watch live TV and use OneGuide as well as Skype and OneDrive.

If you've never really been happy at the fact you need a Xbox Live Gold subscription in order to access Hulu and Netflix on your Xbox there's a good chance that requirement could be gone soon. It's something that has been on the table for a while now but according to Arstechnica, multiple sources have now been briefed on the matter ahead of June's E3 expo.

Netflix is in the process of sending emails to its European and US customers explaining its price increase for new subscriptions. More importantly for existing members, Netflix is committing to a 2 year freeze on any price increases, so for now at least it's a case of carry on as you are. The email in full reads as follows:

Netflix has released their Q1 2014 earnings report today, and bundled deep in the news about numbers and dollars is a short paragraph about pricing.

Later this quarter, Netflix plans to increase prices for new streaming customers by $1 to $2 more per month. Current subscribers will continue to pay what they're paying ($7.99 here in the states) for a "generous time period."

In 2014, if you are looking to watch television shows or movies, there are a plethora of different apps and services available to fulfill your need of entertainment consumption. We are going to look at what we currently consider the best TV and movie apps available in the Windows Store for Windows 8/RT devices. We will begin by noting that all of these application will work within the United States, but elsewhere your results will vary.

Just because it's the weekend, don't you dare think for a second that it's completely quiet. We've got some app updates for you. Netflix joins Nokia's App Folder and 1Shot in this weekend's roundup of app updates. Pass by the break to see what's new in the latest releases.

Netflix for Windows Phone has just been updated. Unfortunately, there is still no profile support. Their recent update on Android has added that functionality, so multiple people in the household can use different profiles and movie or TV recommendations don’t get mixed up. Windows 8 has received that update in October.

The latest app to land on the Windows Store is quite epic. The new EPIX app allows users to stream over 3,000 Hollywood blockbusters to their Windows 8 device, but that’s not all; use EPIX to gain access to the latest concert performances, standup comedy shows, and documentaries.

Want to earn achievements for Xbox One without touching your controller? Now you can, as Microsoft is allowing media applications to include their own achievements. In a blog post this morning, the company has given away the fact that app makers would be allowed to include this latest ability to accompany achievements from gaming.

Nokia is looking to partner up with Vodafone UK to offer free Netflix on all Lumia 1020 purchases. The FT reports the deal will include one year's worth of Netflix for those who purchase the Windows Phone on Vodafone. Nokia is currently signing a deal with Microsoft for the latter to purchase its devices and services division, but it's clearly not halting aggressive marketing anytime soon.

Earlier in August, Netflix added profile support to their popular video streaming platform. The move was met with praise left and right. No longer do you have different movie and television tastes clashing and distorting suggestions for multiple people in a family. The feature first showed up on the web version of Netflix and slowly went out to the iOS and Android versions of the mobile apps.

It’s also supported on the PS3 and Xbox 360. But Windows Phone still doesn’t support profiles and today the Windows 8 version just gained the ability.

Flixster and Netflix have been on Windows Phone for quite a while. In fact, Netflix was shown off on stage at the Windows Phone 7 Series unveil at MIX back in March 2010. Both apps were available for consumers when Windows Phone went on sale at the end of 2010. They’ve received small updates here and there along the way. Both just received two updates today, let’s check them out.